Making your Mark

by Kipakuta

Seaside schooling

The rest of the week was like a blur. The trio had told their families about their plans, and kept busy with chores to earn a few extra bits. The work was tiring, but it was worth it to spend time with a favorite teacher.

At dawn of Sevenday, the trio got up early and headed to the bazaar. As they passed by the railroad depot, they heard somepony call out "Hey girls! Over here!"

All three looked over and saw Mrs Cheerilee approaching from the other side of the tracks. She checked for trains, then crossed and trotted over to them. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, we were hoping to grab some pastries from Sugarcube Corner's booth." Scootaloo replied.

"Then we can grab something on our way, follow me please." She looked up and down the tracks again, then crossed, following a tamped dirt path that lead west. The Crusaders followed. After passing through a gatehouse, the group boarded a waiting carriage. Cheerilee leaned over to the earth pony pulling team. "Could you take us to the beach?"

"As you wish, Matron." The team leader replied before they began pulling the carriage along the cobblestone path. They turned onto a path leading south. After a few minutes, the carriage stopped amidst a cluster of buildings at the edge of a beach.

"Thank you, we'll be here a while." Cheerilee told the pulling team as she and the crusaders disembarked.

"Alright. You folks have a wonderful day now." One of the pullers replied, before the group took the carriage back up the path.

Cheerilee turned to the crusaders. "Do you girls like crepes?"

"Oh yeah." Scootaloo replied. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle added their approval.

"Good, because we're getting some." Cheerilee lead them to one of the buildings where ponies were eating.

- - -

After eating their fill, the fillies checked their remaining money. "Ok, So we have another -B- 24 for you." Sweetie Belle passed the money to Cheerilee. "I think four hours will be enough to get some idea on how to find our Cutie Marks."

Cheerilee took a notebook and a pen from her saddlebag, and hooved it over to the group. "I suggest you take notes, because there is a lot I want you to know."

Applebloom took the book. "I remember you telling us that you got your cutiemark for educating students."

Cheerilee chuckled. "That's the short version. What really happened was that I wove a lesson into an elaborate story, and presented it to my peers when I was in high school."

"So education through entertainment?" Sweetie Belle asked. "That's like the specials that they sometimes show on t.v.. But you don't seem to be as obvious about it."

"Anyways, moving right along." Cheerilee headed outside. "I hope they still teach proper journalistic procedure in school."

"Ya mean like asking who, what, why, and how?"

"Also when and where." Cheerilee added.

"Yeah, we got that." Scootaloo replied. "So. What is a Cutie Mark?"

"Wait, back up a bit, Scoots." Sweetie Belle protested. "We gotta start with the who."

"Right right. Who gets a Cutie Mark?" Scootaloo corrected herself.

"I know ponies and zebras do." Applebloom replied. "Not buffalo or dragons, or Diamond Dogs though."

"Cows don't, and donkeys don't. Changelings don't get one naturally, but they can mimic one." Sweetie Belle added.

"Let me stop you right there." Cheerilee pointed a hoof at Scootaloo. "Would you clarify what you mean by 'ponies?'"

Applebloom wrote while Scootaloo listed the types. "There's Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth ponies. Oh, and Merae. So can we get on with this?"

"All in good time, Scootaloo." Cheerilee replied, heading to a nearby rocky pier. "It's a shame that the Board of Education never allowed me to arrange a field trip here. You girls have never met the Merae."

"Well no. but we've seen them swimming about outside of the wave zone of the public beach." Sweetie Belle replied.

"Then let's introduce you to them." Cheerilee balanced carefully on her hindlegs, then placed her front frogs next to her mouth. "Shooby doooo! Shooby doooo!" She called in the direction of the water.

"Shoop shooby doooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Came a reply. Within the space of half a minute, several figures could be seen swimming under the water in their direction. The figures surfaced, revealing themselves to be colorful seal-like equines: Their front limbs were flattened fins ending in four stubby fingers, and their rear legs were fused to make a tapering tail with horizontal flippers on the end. The Merae settled in the shallow water, mere strides away from the group. "This a tour group?" One of them asked.

"No, these are friends of mine." Cheerilee replied, settling on all four hooves again. "This is Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom." She introduced each of the fillies.

"Hey, vos ami sont nos ami." The aquatic pony replied.

"What did she say?" Scootaloo looked to Cheerilee.

"She said, my friends are their friends." She replied. Approaching the Merae, Cheerilee spoke. "They want to learn about Cutie Marks, so I thought I'd begin by having them look at yours."

The group chuckled as they arranged themselves in rough uneven rows and settled on their bellies. The Crusaders noted that a few of the younger Merae were unmarked, but the adults all had one. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle interviewed a few for their Cutie Mark story, which Applebloom wrote down.

"Are we done with this peep show?" One of the Merae remarked. A few others chuckled.

"Trench!" Cheerilee snapped.

"Whaaaaat." The dark blue Merae shot back. "She was looking at my tail." Trench pointed to Scootaloo.

"Oh you think everypony's looking at your tail." One of the other Merae retorted.

"I can't help it, Coral." He flexed. "When you look this good, ponies can't help but look at you. It's a curse."

"Don't mind him." Coral said to the Crusaders. "He's new around here."

"Yep. came up from the shores of the Free States." Trench replied.

" The Free States down south? I've got family there." Applebloom replied.

"Heh, small world." Trench replied. Cheerilee cleared her throat. "Oh, sorry." He blushed.

"Now, what I want point out. What common factor do you notice about their Cutie Marks."

"They're all things that you find in or around oceans and rivers." Sweetie Belle replied. "That one's got a starfish, this one's got a frog. She's got a tidal wave.

"What about Trench? His is a couple of rusty gears." Applebloom said.

"How does rust form?" Cheerilee asked her.

"Oh, when metal gets wet."

All three fillies had a moment of realization. "So all their cutiemarks are related to water." Sweetie Belle stated

"That's right, Sweetie Belle." Cheerilee praised her. "And why do you suppose that is?"

"Cause they live in the water?"

"Ooooh, so close." Trench replied with a grin. "Wanna take another guess?"

"So it's not cause you live in the water." Applebloom stated. "Can we get a hint?"

"The reason they live in the water, and the reason they get water-related Cutie Marks, are linked by a third factor." Cheerilee answered.

"Ooh." Scootaloo raised a hoof. "I know! I know!"

"Go ahead. Scootaloo." Cheerilee smiled.

"Is it cause they control water?"

"Almost there."

"Connected to the water?" Scootaloo perked her ears.

"More specific please." Cheerilee replied.

"Water...water...It's their magic, isn't it?" Scootaloo grinned widely. "They're attuned to the water."

"Check out the big brain on Scootaloo." Trench chimed in. A round of snickering followed.

"That's correct. So here is what you should write down." Cheerilee began. Applebloom readied the pen. "Every pony is attuned to a specific type of mana, and this influences their Cutie Mark."

"Wait, then that means-" Scootaloo began.

"-that we won't all get the same Cutie Mark." Sweetie Belle finished.

"Do you expect to all have the same talent?" Cheerilee asked.

"Well no, but..." Scootaloo began, but left the thought hanging.

"We done here teach?" Trench asked. "Cause I'm drying up over here."

"Yes. You may go." Cheerilee waved them off. As the Merae departed, the Crusaders thought over what they had learned. "Come along." Cheerilee requested as she began trotting over to the path. "Our next stop is up at the mansion."

Comments

[Dusty Sage]

Very persuasive description of the Merae.